Cold front heads East on Sunday

Severe thunderstorms moved into the East on Saturday, while scattered showers and thunderstorms persisted for the western states.

A low pressure system over the Great Lakes continued to push a cold front southeastward throughout the day. Warm and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico continued to pour in ahead of this system, allowing for scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop from the Northeast through the Gulf states. Some of these storms have turned severe with strong winds and large hail.

Strong winds reported across North Carolina and Tennessee have blown down multiple large trees. Heavy rainfall was also reported with these storms, causing areas of flooding. Heaviest precipitation was reported in Hickory, N.C. with a midday total of 5.20 inches of rain. Meanwhile, the northern side of this system allowed for shower and thunderstorm activity to persist for the Upper Midwest and across the Great Lakes. These storms have not turned severe.

In the West, scattered showers and thunderstorms spread northward across the western states due to monsoonal moisture over the Southwest. These storms increased chances of flooding across the deserts, thus, flood warnings and advisories have been issued for much of Arizona and New Mexico.

To the north, higher pressure over the Northwestern corner of the nation allowed for dry and warm conditions to continue. These conditions increased fire danger from the Pacific Northwest through the Northern Rockies.

ON THIS DATE....... During hurricane seasons, hurricane hunter airplanes routinely fly in and out of hurricane eyes. On this date in 1943, U.S. Air Force Colonel Joseph Duckworth began this tradition by becoming the first person to fly through the eye of a hurricane.